Page:The Story of the House of Cassell (book).djvu/276

 obviously, does not apply to rotary work. There is also a lift constantly in motion between the machine-room and every other floor in the building, whereby a continuous supply of printed matter is flowing from the machine-room to the warehouse, and also to the binding department on the second floor.

After the sheets have been thoroughly scrutinized in the warehouse, those that are to be bound are conveyed to the binding department, where they are folded, stitched, and otherwise bound into the form in which they reach the public. The binding department is fitted throughout with the most up-to-date machinery for dealing with the class of work produced by the House, consisting of automatic gathering machines, vertical and horizontal book-covering machines, and patent trimming machines for cutting the edges of the bound books after they have been wire-stitched and the covers have been glued on.

An up-to-date bindery is an object lesson in progressive method. It is a revelation in the art of economized energy by the elimination of unnecessary steps for the workers and avoidable delays for the machine. To tell all there is of interest in this department would itself be a long recital, and we have dallied too long in watching wheels go round and describing how they do it.

One small detail only remains in this personally conducted tour, and it is the arrangements for the prevention of fire. The water supply for the whole building is derived from the New River Company. The water is stored in five wrought-iron tanks, containing altogether 80,000 gallons. There are on each floor, and on the roof, two fire cocks, and tons of water can instantly be thrown on any part of the building. Through the medium, too, of an extensive system of sprinklers in every room and warehouse, any fire could be localized with a tolerable certainty of speedy control. The means of exit are a stone public staircase at one corner of the building and a fireproof workmen's staircase at another corner. There are